While Lake Como has long been a magnet for travelers seeking scenic beauty and elegant lakeside towns, the nearby city of Lecco is experiencing a tourism boom that’s turning heads across Italy. Once considered a quieter alternative to the famous lake, Lecco has seen over 2.2 million tourists in 2023 alone—an impressive 18% jump from the previous year. The region logged more than 5.6 million overnight stays, and the first eight months of 2024 already show nearly a million tourist presences, setting a lively pace for the year.
This surge is not just a blip. Compared to 2019, arrivals in Lecco have increased by 28%, with nights spent in the area up by 4%, totaling 4.4 million. The boom isn’t limited to hotels; in fact, non-hotel accommodations like Airbnb have taken the lead, accounting for 3.1 million overnight stays, outpacing traditional hotels’ 2.5 million. In just two years, the Airbnb market alone has grown by 90%. Non-hotel options now make up 55% of all overnight stays, showing that tourists crave more local experiences, perhaps hoping to live like a Lake Como resident—if only for a weekend.
This rapid expansion is part of a broader regional recovery, as Lake Como itself recorded 4.8 million overnight stays in 2023, a million more than in 2019. Tourist flows in the Como and Lecco provinces have soared above pre-pandemic levels, with foreign arrivals and overnight stays climbing by 6% and 7% respectively. Such popularity is great for business, with an estimated €1.5 billion in revenue generated from tourism in 2023. Overtourism is increasingly becoming a concern, as both residents and policymakers note the negative impact of such large visitor numbers on daily life and local resources. The region’s historical appreciation for property values further fuels interest among potential buyers. Additionally, the market exhibits high resilience due to limited supply and long ownership periods.
The added value from tourism and cultural activities has seen a steady rise, too, with Lecco now ranking among the top cultural economy producers in Lombardy. However, success comes with its own set of challenges. The growing numbers have strained local infrastructure, leading to traffic congestion and overcrowding, especially in picturesque hotspots like Bellagio.
The demand for skilled workers is also rising, with at least 2,400 additional staff needed in the tourism sector to keep up. Still, over 33,000 people are already employed in tourism around Lake Como, making up 11% of the local workforce.
As Lecco’s tourism star rises, it’s not just local businesses that benefit—spillover demand is fueling new interest in the Lake Como property market, with everyone from investors to dreamers looking to stake a claim in this thriving region.
